Hyderabad: A majority of the populace in India – with minimal exceptions – is exposed to hazardous quantum of air-borne particulate matter (PM) pollutants that exceed the WHO (World Health Organization) stipulated normal limit by six to seven times.
These pollutants emanate from two sources – Household or Domestic Particulate matter from usage of solid fuels, and Outdoor or Ambient Particulate matter is a mixture of minute solid and liquid particles generated by the dust, soot and other chemical emissions originating from industries, construction sites, vehicles, coal-fired power plants, burning of biomass and agriculture waste/residue etc.
Particulate Matter is categorised as PM 2.5 and PM10 based on their sizes or diameter. Particulate Matter of sizes less than 2.5 microns and less than 10 microns are labeled as PM2.5 and PM10 respectively.
India has the dubious distinction of being a repertoire of lethal particulate matter, which is reflected in its ranking as the third-highest emitter of PM2.5. India’s annual average of PM2.5 concentration in the air, during 2018, was 72.5 μg/m³ (micrograms per cubic meter air), compared to the WHO recommended normal average of 10μg/m³. Bangladesh recorded the highest emission rate at 97.1μg/m³ and Pakistan was second at 74.3μg/m³.
According to Air Quality Index (AQI) parameter, PM ranging between 55.5-150.4μg/m³ is classified as “Unhealthy”, with the populace in this category being prone to increased likelihood of adverse effects and aggravation to the heart and lungs. Going by this parameter, many parts of India, which have PM2.5 concentration ranging from 72μg/m to 135μg/m are in the ‘unhealthy’ zone.
Dearth of effective and stringent regulations and monitoring to ensure compliance by the polluting industries and deficiency of ideas and strategies on the part of the concerned authorities and pollution control boards to combat and curb environmental contamination, are among the major causatives of deteriorating air quality in the country. India’s air-borne particulate matter concentration has reached ominous levels and almost to a point of no return.
To substantiate this contention, here are some more bitter truths. Twenty five Indian cities were among the world’s 50 worst polluted cities, with Gurugram and Ghaziabad - positioned first and second during 2018 - recording an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 135μg/m³ which is 20 times higher than the normal range. Delhi, which is always in the news was at 11th position recording an annual average of 113.5μg/m³. All these cities which were in the “Unhealthy” zone also recorded “very unhealthy” levels during the year. Inevitably, such dangerous highs in concentration of air-borne particulate matter portend extremely debilitating and fatal health hazards.
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A special report titled “State of Global Air” published this year by Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in collaboration with Health Effects Institute (HEI), points out that air pollution consistently ranked among the top five risk factors for death and disability worldwide during 2017. It is responsible for more deaths than many better-known risk factors such as malnutrition, alcohol use, and physical inactivity. Each year, more people die from air pollution-related disease than from road traffic injuries or malaria. PM2.5 penetrates deeply into the lung, irritates and corrodes the alveolar wall, and consequently impairs lung function. The size of the ultra fine particles also enables them to cross the pulmonary epithelium and the lung-blood barrier. Inhalation of PM2.5 can thus be a potent causative of heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections, and cancer. The report pointed out that air pollution was the fifth-highest mortality risk factor globally and was associated with about 4.9 million deaths and 147 million years of healthy life lost in 2017.
The World Health Organisation has categorised air pollution - including household and ambient sources- as a critical risk factor for non-communicable diseases, causing an estimated 24% of all adult deaths from heart disease, 25% from stroke, 43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 29% from lung cancer.
Air pollution was the second largest risk factor contributing to disease burden in India after malnutrition, with an increasing trend in exposure to ambient particulate matter pollution. In 2017, ambient particulate matter and household air pollution is reported to have claimed more than one million lives. The deleterious impact of high exposure to particulate matter and the resultant susceptibility of the Indian populace to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are reflected in extensive research conducted by the IHME. An analysis of the results indicates that the incidence of these diseases in India is attributable to Ambient and Household particulate matter. The susceptibility risk rate also reflects exposure of the country’s populace to high concentration of particulate matter. Approximately, 12% of total deaths from all causes were attributable to Particulate Matter pollution with 7% and 5% attributed to ambient particulate matter and household pollutants from solid fuels respectively. Incidentally, this rate has been at a near-constant over the last two decades, which indicated that particulate matter concentration had susceptibility risk levels.
Around 47% of the total incidence of respiratory infections in India is attributed to PM2.5 out of which ambient particulate matter and Household pollutants from solid fuels constituted 26% and 21% respectively.
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From the perspective of disease risk rate related to cardiovascular ailments, 22.17% of total ischemic heart cases incidence in India was attributed to Particulate Matter Pollution of which Ambient particulate matter and Household pollution from solid fuels accounted for 13.88% and 8.29% respectively. 22.48% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) incidence was attributable to ambient particulate matter and 17.62% to household pollution from solid fuels.
A significant revelation that emerges from an analysis is that implementation of control and prevention measures had little or no effect in reducing the pollution levels. On the contrary, in many cases, pollution levels have been increasing. A classic example is Delhi where pollution levels continue to retain “Unhealthy” and “Very Unhealthy Levels” despite imposing emission reduction measures like installation of catalytic converters and CNG in all vehicles. Not just in Delhi, even across the country, the introduction of emission-free BS-IV compliant vehicles have not proved to be effective enough in decreasing pollution to a significant level. Old poison spewing vehicles outnumbering the BSIV vehicles is the most likely reason for air-borne contamination remaining status quo or high.
One of the major impediments to pollution mitigation initiatives is the non-compliant industrial sector. Most of the industrial managements flout and violate emission regulation with impunity. They are averse to installation of pollution prevention equipment because of the extra costs involved in operating and maintaining it.
From the perspective of all these factors, the big question is: Are we destined to live with the threat of susceptibility to the pervasive particulate matter contamination? Or, are there any solutions to reverse highs to lows?
Monitoring and continuously tracking the pollution levels is only a part of the solution. Enforcing punitive measures for non-compliance by the industries, installing latest flue gas treatment technologies in coal-power plants, phasing out the old vehicles could have by now reduced the particulate matter pollution to a considerable extent. Most importantly, the concerned regulatory authorities should be equipped with not just the technologies but also knowledge that could facilitate the achievement of this objective. They can replicate the measures being implemented by countries to bring the air quality to a breathable level.
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